The state Senate approved the legislation 35-0 early Tuesday morning. The House of Representatives backed the bill unanimously in April.

Malloy said Connecticut’s laws must encourage growth in agriculture. The lawsuit raised fears that the state’s lucrative horse industry would be uninsurable if horses are designated as vicious.

The state Supreme Court in March upheld an Appellate Court decision that said a horse is “naturally inclined to do mischief or be vicious.” But four Supreme Court justices said the question of whether an animal is naturally dangerous must be considered individually by lower courts.